Mitochondrial-associated protein biomarkers in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

This study aimed to determine the role of mitochondria-associated proteins (HtrA2, α-synuclein, and Park7) in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A total of 125 patients with ADHD (77.6% were males) and 66 healthy controls (66.7% were males) were recruited. We found that girls with ADHD demonstrated higher plasma HtrA2 level than control girls, and their HtrA2 levels were positively correlated with verbal comprehensive ability, and negatively correlated to behavior symptoms. Among boys, we observed no correlations between these mitochondrial proteins, neuropsychological findings, and clinical symptoms. Our findings suggest that an underlying gender-specific mitochondria pathway may influence with the pathophysiology of ADHD. •The role of mitochondria-associated proteins (HtrA2, α-synuclein, and Park7) in ADHD was investigated.•Girls with ADHD demonstrated higher plasma HtrA2 level than control girls.•No correlations between these mitochondrial proteins and clinical symptoms were observed in ADHD boys.•An underlying gender-specific mitochondria pathway may influence with the pathophysiology of ADHD.